Celebrity Poker Showdown online tournament 2006 will be going from May 31 to July 30, where qualifying rounds of Texas Hold 'Em will be played on BravoTV.com daily, potentially advancing hundreds of winners to the final round.

Entrants of the Celebrity Poker Showdown, Online Poker Tournament 2006 must be legal residents, must physically reside in the continental United States and be 21 years of age or older as of the date of entry.

The celebrity poker players schedule for the season are:

Game 1 - Premieres Wednesday, May 31st at 9:00pm, ET/PT Bryan Cranston, Jamie Bamber, Jason Alexander, Susie Essman and Kevin Sorbo

Game 2 - Premieres Wednesday, June 7th at 9:00pm, ET/PT Greg Behrendt, Andrea Martin, Kim Coles, Michael Ian Black and Jorge Garcia

Game 3 - Premieres Wednesday, June 14th at 9:00pm, ET/PT Fred Savage, Jennifer Tilly, Brett Butler, online tournament winner Ida Siconolfi and Doug E. Doug

Game 4 - Premieres Wednesday, June 21st at 9:00pm, ET/PT Mario Cantone, Jenna Fischer, Rocco Dispirito, Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key

Game 5 - Premieres Wednesday, Jun 28th at 9:00pm, ET/PT Christopher Meloni, Joy Behar, Andy Dick, Macy Gray and Robin Tunney

The Championship Game - Premieres Wednesday, July 5th at 9:00pm/et

Each episode of "Celebrity Poker Showdown" features five celebrities competing against each other to win thousands of dollars to donate to the charity of their choice. Each week, a new group of celebrities meet at the table to go head to head until only one remains. The winner from each week's game will advance to the championship sixth game. To date, "Celebrity Poker Showdown, Online Poker Tournament" has given away $2,450,000 to charities around the world. All celebrities will be playing for charities benefiting victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Well, actually last year at this time, as I'm recalling lessons I learned on the set of the poker movie "Lucky You", coming soon to a theatre or drive-in near you....

While watching poker professional Sam Farha play heads up with the publisher of All In Magazine, and seeing them trade blinds for about ten minutes, he turns to me and says, "Texas Hold'em is a boring game."

I'd have to disagree, however, I wasn't there to argue with the guy that took second at the 2003 WSOP, so, I just smiled, and waited for the cameras to roll....

More on this when it comes up again.

72 and sunny in Redondo Beach.

See you next time.

"Matches Malone"

Editor's note: Matches Malone has been writing for us for a couple years now, and you can read his blog notes at PokerAllStar.com

Note: All News and Press Release information on the pages of PokerAllStar.com is cited from public sources on the internet. Articles appearing on PokerAllStar.com are written by contributing authors, and the views and opinions expressed are those of the author only.

You can win a seat to the WSOP!

You go to the various professional poker sites, or the sites that talk about poker strategy and tactics, or talk to your next door neighbor, and they're all offering you a chance to win a seat at the WSOP and become a poker pro.

I believe this is what doubled 2004's field to 5619 this last year. This year, they think they'll only have 8000 entries for poker players, however, by the looks of things, that number could be low. Some sites are offering hotel packages in addition to the entry fee itself.

As I don't really play poker online, my opportunities are limited, however, I too am joining the fray. I'm playing in a charity poker tournament on June 10th, where the grand prize is, you guessed it, a seat at the WSOP Main Event.

I've also got promotional duties to attend to for it, so, between that and the writing that I'm painfully behind on, I don't know how well I'll do. I do know that I'll be doing more research, as I have to get ready....

More on this when it comes up again.

72 and sunny in Redondo Beach. See you next time.

"Matches Malone"

Editor's note: Matches Malone has been writing for us for a couple years now, and you can read his blog notes at PokerAllStar.com

Note: All News and Press Release information on the pages of PokerAllStar.com is cited from public sources on the internet. Articles appearing on PokerAllStar.com are written by contributing authors, and the views and opinions expressed are those of the author only.

Doyles Room Spokesman Wins Cardplayer Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award

He's been called the Godfather of Poker. He's the Texas Dolly. He's won more tournaments than this writer has years to his name. He's written the seminal book on Texas Hold'em strategy. He's the spokesman of Doyles Room, one of the internet's most popular online poker rooms. His name is Doyle Brunson. And as of February 15, 2006, he's got another claim to fame.

Doyle Brunson, spokesman of Doyles Room online poker room, has just been named Card Player Magazine's first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award. The awards were presented as part of Card Player Magazine's Player of the Year Awards at Old Hollywood's Henry Fonda Music Box Theater.

Bodog produced the event, which also honored Men Nguyen as "Player of the Year" and the following other poker greats:

People's Choice Award for Favorite Player -- Daniel "Kid Poker" Negreanu Best Celebrity Player -- Jennifer Tilly Best No-Limit Player -- Phil Ivey Most Underrated Player -- Allen Cunningham Best Heads Up Player -- Phil Ivey Best Mixed Game Player -- Chip Reese Best Female Player -- Jennifer Harman Most Entertaining Player -- Mike Matusow Most Feared Player -- Phil Ivey Breakthrough Player -- Michael Gracz Best Cash Game -- Chip Reese Poker Ambassador -- Mike Sexton Card Player Freeroll Champion -- Jim Coca.

Incidentally, though he didn't win the award, Doyles Room's Todd Brunson (son of Doyle Brunson) was one of the nominees for "Best Heads Up Player" (along with poker brat Phil Hellmuth). Doyles Room's Doyle Brunson himself was also nominated for Poker Ambassador (with other non-winner Daniel Negreanu).

The Doyle's Room name-giver was the first person ever to win $1 million in a tournament. At the time of winning the Bodog/Card Player Magazine award, Doyles Room's Brunson had 10 World Series of Poker bracelets to his name. Should another WSOP event have occurred before these words cross your desktop, that number will invariably be higher.

The event's host was Brad Garrett of television's "Everybody Loves Raymond". Celebrity attendees included " Boston" Rob and Amber Mariano ("Survivor"), Don Felder of the Eagles, Christopher Masterson ("Malcolm in the Middle"), Danny Masterson and Laura Prepon ("That '70's Show"), and Gilby Clarke, formerly of Guns and Roses.

The Doyles Room spokesman and Las Vegas native, in accepting the honor, gave this humble advice to the audience: "In life as in poker, you have tough breaks. But you have to play with the hands you're dealt. That is what I try to do, and that is what I encourage you to do."

Though Men "The Master" was the declared player of the year, Doyles Room's Doyle Brunson was on the short list for the award, with the following 2005 standings:

4th Annual 5-Diamond World Poker Classic, No-Limit Hold'em Championship event: 3rd place ($563,485)

36th Annual World Series of Poker -- No-Limit Hold'em Short Handed event: 1st place ($367,500)

3rd Annual 5-Star World Poker Classic: 3rd place ($60,000)

It was only a matter of time before the most respected man in poker got an online poker room all his own. If there's any poker room where you can count on the quality of service, features, and gameplay that the best of the best would desire, it's Doyles Room. It takes a Lifetime of Achievement to come up with something that good!

About the Author
Poker-Ranking.com is the premier resource for online poker reviews. Visit http://www.poker-ranking.com/ for informative articles, poker rules, game strategy, and comprehensive reviews of over 60 online poker rooms, including Doyles Room.

Note: All News and Press Release information on the pages of PokerAllStar.com is cited from public sources on the internet. Articles appearing on PokerAllStar.com are written by contributing authors, and the views and opinions expressed are those of the author only.

Sit and Go Strategies for Poker Prophecy

My previous articles on poker calculators have not includedinformation on Poker Prophecy because in essence it is NOT an online poker odds calculator. However, it does something equally as valuable in that it displays your opponents overall win rate at the poker site you play. Whether you play at Poker Stars, Party Poker, Ultimate Bet, or a selection of others, PokerProphecy keeps sit and go records for you whether you are at the table or not. Is it useful? Yes, it absolutely is. If you play sit and go tables even once in a while, this is the one online poker program that can pay for itself in the same day. In an ideal world you would want to use your poker calculator alongside Poker Prophecy. Now, if you are wondering how knowing an opponent's win rate will help you, keep reading.

In effect, you can place your opponent's win rate against them. Although you can change the levels of classifications on Poker Prophecy I prefer to use the provided win rate categorizations -as they seem to be right on. To win a sit and go poker tournament you will be in several hands along the way that are game critical intersects. In saying that, would you want your opponent to be someone that you've never played against, or a regular that you have played hundreds, or even thousands of times?

A win rate is determined by adding all the 1st, 2nd, and 3rdplace finishes and dividing by games played. These rates create 3 player categories. Here are some strategies to use against all of them.

37% or higher - Poker Professional: Anyone with this win rate knows how to play tight/aggressive and does so with incredible patience and discipline. They will not be bluffing early, and will almost always have the best hand when all in. However, their weakness lies in that very foundation, in that they are the easiest players at the table to bluff out of a pot. If you try this often, they will trap you, but if you selectively come over the top in a big way, these players will not call on handslike top or middle pair, mediocre draws, or flop boards that have a lot of chemistry. Stay away from them if they come in early position with a raise. Fold your AJ, KQ, 66, 33, and the like, unless you are short stacked, then over the top is your only play. At this level, players are proud of their win rate and absolutely hate to go out first, or early in a tournament. If you can threaten to cut into their bankroll, they will pause and fold to your aggressive re-raising.

20.01% to 36.9% - Average: These players are the most dangerous in that they may have tendencies of being solid and weak, many of them are in poker learning stages that may well be improving. I find the reason why these online poker players are stuck in this zone is that they can't let go of draws, even when pot odds justify an obvious fold. The course of action here is basically straight up, unless you have some other indication of their play. If you have them on an obvious draw, bet solid. If the river is a brick add one small bet to cap it off, and hope for a re-raise. In game play, they are the ones to watch most in order to help build an identity.

0% to 20% - Fish: Don't bluff, don't bluff, and for God sakes, don't bluff. These are the players who are most often asked -"How did you call with that?" They are the lowest grade opponents for a reason, but can double up ON YOU if you don'tplay straight up against them. However, that makes them the most susceptible to being trapped and/or slow played. And that's what you want to do while avoid being drawn out on an ugly gut shot straight. If you want them out of the hand, all-in is your only play, but make sure you are way ahead. If not, calling/checking down, and folding to a huge river bet is safer. These players will see so many hands and raises that you are sure to get a better shot at them later - if they happen to survive. Poker Prophecy also has other statistics which you should read for every poker table you join because they have a huge impact on a players TRUE win rate.

How many games have they played? The more they have played(100+) the more that category is true to their fundamental playing style. If your opponent has a 62% win rate but has only played 13 games, you are essentially playing blind - the win rate is a non-factor, save for representing a streak.

What buy-in are they playing compared to what they usually play? Someone could be on a bad losing streak at the $50 buy in, and finds himself trying to bankroll at the $10 buy ins. They may tend to be more impatient and inclined to tilt. On the otherhand, moving up a level or two usually means the player is going to be much tighter.

Conflicting styles. If you discover a pro-rated player in a lot of weak hands, and playing carelessly, you may be seated with the spouse/friend of the account holder. I often come across this and pay close attention to that player so that I can override the category myself.

About the author:Martin Smith is webmaster of http://www.PokerCalculatorReport.com where all the online poker calculators are tested and reviewed, including Sit and Go Shark,Calculatem Pro, and Poker Spy. He is also editor of http://www.PokerBookReport.com You can contact Martin Smith at support@PokerCalculatorReport.com

Note: All News and Press Release information on the pages of PokerAllStar.com is cited from public sources on the internet. Articles appearing on PokerAllStar.com are written by contributing authors, and the views and opinions expressed are those of the author only.

A Distracted Soldier

It is said that "a distracted soldier is a dead soldier". Anyone that has been watching "The Unit" on CBS has had this mantra ground into them to some degree. And I would have to agree, for at the poker table, if you're a professional poker player and not focused, you're going to bust out early.

I've never understood why those poker all stars bring a crossword puzzle, or a book, or whatever with them to the poker room. I somewhat get eating at the table, however, this too can be a distraction. Cocktails or beer can cloud your mind when you need your mental energy the most. I'll drink either water or coffee. Mostly coffee to produce a hand shake at an opportune time, as most of the books on tells state that a shaky hand is a strong hand, as opposed to a nervous one.

But I digress.... At the casino I play at most of the time, they have horse races running constantly on the big screen, as it's connected to a race track. Yet another level of distraction, as this includes betting and gambling as well. I haven't really decided if the cocktail waitresses are cuter than the bet runners, however, being distracted by beautiful women when you're making a decision for all your chips on the bubble in a poker tournament with a marginal hand is not my idea of a good time.

So, my conclusion is simply this: I come to the poker room to play poker. If you're there to do anything else like read, think about getting a celebrity poker players autograph, or listen to music, then I think you should save yourself some time and a lot of headache, and simply hand your money directly to me.

More on this when it comes up again.

72 and sunny in Redondo Beach.See you next time.

"Matches Malone"

Editor's note: Matches Malone has been writing for us for a couple years now, and you can read his blog notes at PokerAllStar.com

Note: All News and Press Release information on the pages of PokerAllStar.com is cited from public sources on the internet. Articles appearing on PokerAllStar.com are written by contributing authors, and the views and opinions expressed are those of the author only.

How Many of You Remember Dr. Science?

Not to be confused with Bill Nye the Science Guy, Dr. Science's catch phrasewas, "He knows more than you do!!!" On TV in the late 80's, they'd always pump up the reverb on the catch phrase, giving it a nice echo effect, and making it sound really ominous.

What does this have to do with poker? Well, I got this feeling recently when watching yet another broadcast of the World Poker Tour, this one at the Atlantis Hotel in the Bahamas. Once again, Poker Professionals Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten provide expert analysis which is almost always, wrong!!!

What makes me say this? Well, for one thing, they can see all the cards of every poker player, whether in the hand or not. At my home game in college, we had a term for this, "Inside Information." It became a catch phrase of our own, which we would use when we'd see someone at the table making an impossible draw, as at that time, seven stud was our game of choice. I hope I'm not dating myself, which as you know, can get awful lonely.

Back to what we were talking about, about, poker in the Bahamas. Specifically, a hand came up where in I started shouting at the TV. Even if the broadcast was live, I don't think they could've heard me across the country and the gulf.

Yet another instance of mistakenly thinking that you can learn the game from watching it on TV; I felt as if I were losing poker IQ points by the minute as the commentators continued to bloviate on the hand. The hand itself is not important. What you need to know is that with almost the exact same situation as a previous hand just ten minutes before TV time, they gave entirely different commentary. Why isn't the situation the same? As with all things poker, it depends....

More on this when it comes up again.

72 and sunny in Redondo Beach.

See you next time.

"Matches Malone"

Editor's note: Matches Malone has been writing for us for a couple years now, and you can read his blog notes at PokerAllStar.com

Note: All News and Press Release information on the pages of PokerAllStar.com is cited from public sources on the internet. Articles appearing on PokerAllStar.com are written by contributing authors, and the views and opinions expressed are those of the author only.

Poker Pros are the New Endorsers of Brands

It was not so long ago that most members of the public would shun the legitimacy of the poker player who treated a game of cards as a "profession". It wasn't like a real job or profession where you had to physically exert yourself in some way or another. Poker players just had to sit at a table all day, eat, drink and play cards. Sounds more like a holiday to me. But the stealth like success and mass appeal of the game, much like its strategies have propelled it to stellar proportions.

Today, we see those once shunned poker players as legitimate professionals who are celebrated in their own right; a status previously kept for sports personalities. However, the trimmings associated with this level of fame does become a prime feeding ground for opportunists hoping to attach themselves to these pros and bask in the fast paced Bondesque lifestyle the game now conjures up for itself. Of course the 'Rags to Riches' stories such as that of Chris MoneyMaker who went on to win the WSOP2003 championship of $2.5 million from his humble $40 online poker entry fee has only helped increase poker's allure.

But it has primarily been the internet that has vastly improved poker's appeal by helping the game reach the masses. Many online gambling sites such as InterPoker.com show that they can provide secure and trusted environments from which amateur players can learn the skills of the game and participate in competitions with jackpots that would otherwise have been unattainable without going to LasVegas.

These gaming sites have become the hub of online gambling and helped drastically change the image of the game from a lazy man's living to a socially accepted and practiced pastime withover a $12 billion turnover. In turn, the games hosted on these sites such as TexasHoldem, Omaha, Roulette and the like are being played on a constant basis thanks to the ease in which a player can now access these games. In turn, the professional poker players have gained a wider acceptance and fame as more and more people begin to understand the intricacy of those games and want to pick up on those "secret" tips and strategies.

With this success come the spoils of royalties, sponsorships, TV deals for the echelons of professional poker and some very prominent gaming companies riding the mania. For example, InterPoker.com sponsors many professional players, recently sending their key players to theWSOP 2006 and 32Red have just signed a two year sponsorship deal with Aston Villa football club. But of course it is not only the companies that are blitzing every marketing avenue, poker players too are reaping the perks associated with sponsorship, now becoming the key endorsers of mainstream brands such as a recent television campaign taken on by Pepsi showing poker pros playing against a can of soda. Like with all things once taboo in the media, it won't be long before poker pros become the future kings/queens of cool and much like Kate Moss, the darling of most brands.

About the author: Seema Shah has been writing articles since 2004. She currently writes primarily within the online gaming industry for InterPoker, part of InterCasino, one of the largest, and most respected online casino and online poker rooms offering TexasHoldem and Omaha.

Note: All News and Press Release information on the pages of PokerAllStar.com is cited from public sources on the internet. Articles appearing on PokerAllStar.com are written by contributing authors, and the views and opinions expressed are those of the author only.

Meet Team Ultimate Bet

Ultimate Bet Poker was developed for poker players by poker players -- and not just any poker players: the best! Or at least consistent contenders and periodic title holders. Champions Russ Hamilton, Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth, Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott, and Jack McClelland started it all, to be joined later by equally impressive upstarts "Magic" Antonio Esfandiari, Krazy Kanuck, John Vorhaus, and Roxy Rhodes.

Not only have these poker celebs put their exhaustive collective input into the Ultimate Bet software and operational system and procedures, but they continue to make themselves readily available at the Ultimate Bet site to teach you poker, to improve your game and to give the stout of heart among you a chance to try and win their money.

In 1994 Russ Hamilton won the World Series of Poker. He takes an active role in developing Ultimate Bet's ever-evolving tournament structure. You can find on the Ultimate Bet site a Q&A with Russ and a letter written by him for all poker players to benefit from, as well as several articles he penned, including "How to Bet Sports Like a Professional" and Poker Philosophy".

Annie Duke is a mother of four who makes her living winning at poker. She had started the University of Pennsylvania's doctoral program in psycholinguistics before giving it up at 26 to follow in her famous brother Howard Lederer's footsteps as a professional poker player. According to Binion's Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Annie Duke is the leading money winner among women in World Series of Poker history.

Ultimate Bet is proud to have Phil Hellmuth on the team, being he still holds the title for the youngest person ever to win the World Championship of Poker. Eight World Championship titles later, Phil Hellmuth has won over 50 poker tournaments. In 2000, he was the first American to ever win the European Poker Championship.

In just 2004 alone, Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott won the Annual World Poker Open and placed in the money twice at the Bellagio 5-Star Classic and again at that year's World Series of Poker. He won the World Series of Poker twice, in 1997 and again in 2003, as well as the 1998 European Omaha Championship. Devilfish started playing poker in northern England with a game called Strip-Deck-Stud. After a few years, he switched to pot-limit Omaha before finally moving on to Texas Hold'em. A Q&A with Devilfish is available on the Ultimate Bet site.

Jack McClelland has spent 25 years in the Las Vegas poker industry, including as a reputed tournament director and coordinator. He spent 15 years, in fact, with Jack Binion hosting the World Series of Poker. He currently holds the position of tournament director and host at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino. His expertise is called upon far and wide, even landing him a role as Ladbrokes' tournament director and consultant for their Ladbrokes' Poker Millions tournament. Ultimate Bet is proud to have this veteran tournament director hosting the Ultimate Bet Poker Classic in Aruba each year. He also pens articles that can be found on the Ultimate Bet site, such as "Trust, Patience, Perseverance, and Tips", "For the Love of the Game", and "Making the transition from online tournaments to brick and mortar".

Ultimate Bet has hosted Team UB Seminars (and hopefully will again) most notably their 2003 "Poker by the Experts" held at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. Now, for around $9.95 per seminar of 30 minutes to 1 hour or so, Ultimate Bet players can download various segments of the event, such as:

- Howard Lederer on Limit Hold'em Strategies -- what works and what doesn't - Annie Duke on Online vs. Brick and Mortar Ring Games -- what's the difference - Mark Gregorich on Eight-Or-Better Strategies - KrazyKanuck on Online Tournament Play -- the secrets to success

By Sage Kalmus
Poker-Ranking.com is the premier resource for online poker players. Visit http://www.poker-ranking.com/ for informative articles, poker rules, game strategy, and comprehensive reviews of over 60 online poker rooms, including Ultimate Bet.

Note: All News and Press Release information on the pages of PokerAllStar.com is cited from public sources on the internet. Articles appearing on PokerAllStar.com are written by contributing authors, and the views and opinions expressed are those of the author only.